The present invention relates to a racket frame, and more particularly to a racket frame made from fiber reinforced plastic material and provided with an excellent shock-absorbing capability.
In general, the conventional prior art racket frame made from fiber reinforced plastic material is provided with a multi-layered outer shell, which is made from the intertwined sheets of fiber fabric made up of unidirectionally oriented fibers preimpregnated in epoxy resin prior to being treated under heat and pressure in the molding tool. In other words, such outer shell of the racket frame is made up of the same fiber reinforced plastic material extending uniformly and uninterruptedly throughout the entire racket frame. As a result, a player's hand holding the racket is subjected to injury caused by the shock transmitted easily to the grip portion from the head frame upon being impacted by a ball.
In order to find a solution to such problem, a number of new products have been developed and introduced, as exemplified in the Taiwan Patent No. 78201997 disclosing a racket frame having a hand grip capable of absorbing shock. Such racket frame comprises a shock-absorbing elastic body embedded in the junction between the shaft and the hand grip. Such racket is defective in design in that its hand grip is vulnerable to falling apart from the shaft after a prolonged usage of the racket.
Another category of the structures is disclosed in the Taiwan Patent No. 78210299 and has to do with a racket having a shaft provided with a plurality of grooves, in each of which a shock-absorbing girdle is set firmly so as to intercept the shock transmitted from the head frame. Such racket frame is also defective in design in that its shock-absorbing capability is greatly undermined in view of the fact that the shock-absorbing girdle can be eventually loosened up by the shock wave and even become detached.